Mon Mar 03 07:27:56 UTC 2025: ## Oscar Night: “Anora” Sweeps Awards, Director Warns of Cinema’s Decline
LOS ANGELES, CA – “Anora,” a low-budget drama about a New York sex worker, dominated the Academy Awards on Sunday night, winning Best Picture, Best Director (Sean Baker), Best Actress (Mikey Madison), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing. The film, made for a mere $6 million, triumphed over a diverse field of nominees including “Conclave,” “The Brutalist,” and “Wicked.”
Baker, in his acceptance speech, used his win as a platform to express concern over declining cinema attendance. He urged filmmakers to continue creating for the big screen, highlighting the irreplaceable communal experience of watching a film in a theater. “If we don’t reverse this trend, we’ll be losing a vital part of our culture,” he warned.
Other notable wins included Adrien Brody’s second Best Actor Oscar for “The Brutalist,” Zoe Saldana’s Best Supporting Actress award for “Emilia Perez,” and Kieran Culkin’s Best Supporting Actor win for “A Real Pain.” Brazil celebrated its first-ever Oscar for Best International Film with “I’m Still Here,” a film about a family impacted by the country’s military dictatorship.
The documentary “No Other Land,” a collaboration between Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers, took home an Oscar, shedding light on the plight of Palestinians facing home demolitions in the occupied West Bank. The film’s acceptance speech included passionate calls for peace and an end to the ongoing conflict. Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra shared his hope for a future where his daughter wouldn’t face the same hardships, while Israeli filmmaker Yuval Abraham called out both the Israeli government’s actions and Hamas’s holding of Israeli captives.
First Piper 